Full Fix: Nslookup works but ping fails on Windows 10, 8.1, 7

Home » Fix » Full Fix: Nslookup works but ping fails on Windows 10, 8.1, 7

Some users reported that nslookup works but ping fails on their PC. In case you’re not familiar, these are two commands that advanced users might use, and today we’re going to show you how to fix this issue.

Not being able to use the ping function can be a problem, and speaking of this issue, here are some similar problems that users reported:

Nslookup resolves IP but ping does not – Sometimes this issue can be caused by your antivirus or firewall, so perhaps you should adjust your settings and check if that solves the problem.

Nslookup works traceroute fails – If you encounter this problem, perhaps the issue is related to certain services. Simply restart them and the issue should be resolved.

Nslookup can’t resolve ping works -This problem can appear for numerous reasons, and if you encounter it, be sure to try some of our solutions.

Solution 1 – Check your antivirus

According to users, if nslookup works but ping fails, the problem might be related to your antivirus. Several users reported issues with Kaspersky and its firewall feature, and in order to fix the problem, it’s advised to disable the firewall in Kaspersky and check if that solves the issue.

Bear in mind that other antivirus tools and features can cause this problem as well, so even if you don’t use Kaspersky, you should check your antivirus settings and try disabling certain features. If the problem is still there, perhaps you can fix it by disabling your antivirus altogether.

In some instances, the only way to fix this problem might be to remove your antivirus. Even if you choose to remove your antivirus, you should know that your system will be protected by Windows Defender, so you don’t have to worry too much about your safety.

Once you remove your antivirus, check if the problem is still there. If the issue doesn’t appear after removing your antivirus, perhaps you should consider switching to a different antivirus solution. There are many great antivirus tools on the market, and if you want a reliable antivirus that won’t interfere with your system, we recommend you try out Bitdefender.

Solution 2 – Use Command Prompt

Sometimes this problem can occur due to a temporary glitch on your system. If nslookup works but ping fails, you might be able to fix the problem simply by running a couple of commands. To do that, just follow these steps:

Solution 3 – Restart the DNS Client service

If nslookup works but ping fails, the problem might be one of your services. Several users claim that DNS Client service was the problem, and in order to fix the issue, you need to restart this service. This is actually quite simple to do, and you can do it by following these steps:

Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog. Now enter services.msc and press Enter or click OK.

Locate DNS Client, right-click it and choose Stop. Wait for a couple of moments, right-click the DNS Client again and choose Start from the menu.

If you can’t stop the service, the problem is the dependent services. DNS Client service depends on certain services, and until those services are stopped, you won’t be able to stop the DNS Client service. To find out on which services DNS Client depends on, do the following:

In the Services window locate DNS Client and double-click it to open its properties.

Head over to the Dependencies tab and there you should be able to see the services that DNS Client depends on.

Stop these services and then you should be able to stop DNS Client as well.

Once you restart DNS Client service, be sure to restart the services that DNS client depends on.

This might be a bit complicated solution, especially if you need to disable depending services, but as long as you carefully follow the instructions, you should be able to manage.

Solution 4 – Add a dot after a domain

This is an unusual workaround, but it works according to users. If nslookup works but ping fails, perhaps you can fix the problem simply by adding a dot after the domain.

For example, if you previously used ping windowsreport command, try using ping windowsreport. command and check if that works. This is a simple little workaround, but many users reported that it works for them, so feel free to try it out.

Solution 5 – Restart the DNS Cache service

As we previously mentioned, sometimes these kinds of issues can occur due to certain services. If nslookup works but ping fails, the problem is most likely the DNS Cache service, and in order to fix it, you just need to restart it. To do this quickly, just follow these steps:

Start Command Prompt as administrator.

When Command Prompt starts, run the following commands:

net stop dnscache

net start dnscache

After running these two commands, the DNS Cache service will restart and the problem should be resolved.

Solution 6 – Change the IPv4 settings

If nslookup works but ping fails on your PC, the problem might be related to your IP settings. To fix the problem, it’s advised that you make a couple of changes to your IPv4 settings. You can do that by following these steps:

Click the network icon on your Taskbar and choose your network from the menu.

Click Change adapter options in the right pane.

List of all network connections will now appear. Right-click your network connection and choose Properties from the menu.

Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) from the list and click the Properties button.

Now click the Advanced button.

Go to the DNS tab and select Append these DNS suffixes (in order). Now click the Add button.

When the new window appears, enter . as the Domain suffix and click Add. Save changes.

After doing that, the problem should be resolved and everything will start working again.

Solution 7 – Switch to Google DNS

In case the problem is still there, the issue might be your DNS. According to users, if nslookup works but ping fails, the problem can be related to the DNS, but you can fix the issue by switching to Google’s DNS. To do that, just follow these steps:

Repeat Steps 1 – 4 from the previous solution.

Select Use the following DNS server addresses. Enter 8.8.8.8 as the Preferred and 8.8.4.4 as the Alternate DNS server. Click OK to save changes.

After doing that, check if the problem is still there. Bear in mind that switching to the Google DNS might slow down your Internet connection a bit, so keep that in mind.

Solution 8 – Check your hosts file

If the problem is still there, the issue can be your hosts file. If nslookup works but ping fails, it’s possible that the hosts file was edited by a malware or another application, and that can cause this and similar problems to appear.

To fix the problem, it’s advised to check your hosts file and make sure that everything is in order. Basically, if you see the website you’re trying to ping on the list, it means that the hosts files was modified.

Simply remove the entries pointing to the website you’re trying to ping and you’re good to go. If you don’t know how to do that, you can always reset the hosts file and that should fix the problem.

Solution 9 – Disable IPv6

In case you’re not familiar, there are two types of IP addresses, IPv4 and IPv6. The latter is the newer standard, but if you aren’t specifically using IPv6, perhaps you can disable this feature.

As it turns out, several users reported that nslookup works but ping fails due to IPv6, so let’s disable it and check if that helps. To disable IPv6, do the following:

Follow Steps 1-3 from Solution 6.

Locate Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) on the list and uncheck it. Now click Apply and OK to save changes.

After disabling IPv6, check if the problem is still there.

Solution 10 – Update your drivers

If nslookup works but ping fails on your PC, it’s possible that the issue is related to your drivers. Sometimes your drivers might be out of date, and that can lead to this and many other problems. However, you can fix the issue simply by downloading the latest drivers and installing them.

To do that, you just need to visit your network adapter’s website and download the latest drivers for your model. After you download and install the latest drivers, the problem should be resolved.

If this method seems a bit complicated to you, perhaps you should consider using third-party tools such as TweakBit Driver Updater and update your drivers with just a single click.

Not being able to ping a certain device or an IP address can be a problem, but we hope that you solved the issue using one of our solutions.